Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday, Aug. 25 called on authorities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to pay attention to reform and development as well as ethnic unity and stability, to build a "prosperous and harmonious socialist" Xinjiang.

"The key to our work in Xinjiang is to properly handle the relation between development and stability in the region," Hu said during a trip to the northwestern autonomous region.

He urged sticking steadfastly to the central task of economic development, steadfastly maintaining social stability, and steadfastly promoting ethnic unity and common prosperity among all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.